The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-20


are all deeply in debt to grocers and merchants
about JeffersonTiIle for supplies that have been
purchased on credit While the commit
tee was going to the train this after
noon a grocer approached one OF the
legislators, and complained that he had been
creditng guard for three months and that
there WAS now $50 due him. Nearly every per-
son in any way connected with the
management Of the prison is involved
to some degree in the embarrassment
resulting from Towards downfall Outside OF
the pundered prison and the convcts, from
whom savings have been extorted, there are
many sufferers from the operations Of the ring
There are few business men in the city who have
not considerable sums owing them by Howard
and his surbordinates and since the collapse
they have little hope Of ever realizing anything
from these accounts.
An incident in to-days disclosures indicates
pretty well how completely the prison has been
picked Of every cent that it could be made to
yield. The Governor on Friday pardoned
Walter S. Hart, convict dying of consumption.
The papers for his release reached the prison this
morning. and when Hart was given his freedom
he demanded $50 due him to pay his expenses in
/
that there was not dollar on hand and had to
advance to the pardoned convict money from his
own purse
There are many dark stories coming to the
surface, and during the afternoon rumor
| started from the investigating committees head
quarters that crime of worse degree than en-
bezzlement had been committed. While no one
would enter into any details of the story, it
was vaguely limited that there was blood on
the hands of some of the prison officers, con-
| Wet having been killed about year ago. This
morning John Dinkwater, a convict, was found
dead in his cell. The committee thought that
the circumstances of his sudden death warranted
| an investigation. and an inquiry was made into
| the case, but with what result is not known
| The committee has found that the modes of
punishment are simply inhuman, and there is
| little discrimination regarding the relative
| gravity OF offenses committed by the helpless
| wretches upon whom the brutality Is inflicted.
| The warden and guards fix any penalty they
| see fit The prisoners declare they are often
punished without any knowledge of the
| offense with which they are charged.
When the prisoners first enter the work
shops they say they are unable to perform
! the required tasks. When such is the case
they complain that they are handcuffed. sus-
| pended by the wrists with the toes barely touch
ing the floor and left hanging from morning till
night day after day. This punishment is in
f1icted in cell in the top Of the building, where
| it is very cold Men have been taken from this
CELL witnesses testify. with their feet frozen.
| Yet men allowed after being hung up by the
wrists allday. to remain in this place through the
night without even a blanket or covering of any
| kind and forced to lie on the floor.
| The testimony elected in the investigation into
the circumstances of the death of O'Neill in
| 1881 showed that he was strung up for failure to
| do his task, AID the punishment repeated several
| successive days. Finally, he was left hanging
one night. and WAS found dead in his cell the
next morning. Inmates testified that this pun
! ishment was common for failure to perform
tasks talking against orders, and other similar
offeuses. Solitary confinement on bread and
water for from three to thirty days is
also the punishment for talking, and
several days of the good" time he
has made. One witness testified that.
having been in confinement on bread and water.
he was too weak to do his task. He asked the
superintendent of the shop to excuse him from
work for day. and was refused. He then asked
for lighter work was reported for insulting the
superintendent and guard. and was handcufed
and strung up. Another said he was suffering
with a cough, and coughed as the line was fling
| out from dinner He was punished in similar
manner When he made application for medi-
cine the physician refused to give HIM any, say
ing if he was well enough to talk he needed
none.
After the examination of the warden's books
was completed this afternoon by Mr.. Coons they
we're delivered to acting Warden Baxter, and
it is presumed that there will be no further ex-
| animation of them although the House commit
tee will probably return next week to resume its
inquiry into the prisons management. 1t is un-
} derstood that the amount of shortage discov.
. cred by accountant Coons is about $75, 600. As
Howard failed to give any bond the last time he
elected the State will in all likelihood be left
in the lurch. since it seems to be the opinion OF
lawyers that his former bondsmen cannot be held
except tor the shortage which occurred during
the time they were on.his bond. Even then the
matter cannot be settled without a great deal oil
trouble and litigation. One of the principal
men the old bond was NJ. V. Mccain, a Goa
dealer in Jeffersonvle, and an interesting point
in connection with this is that Mccain has
always obtained the contract for furnishing the
prison with coal.
5 After concluding their work this Afternoon
the members of the investigating committee
with the exception of Chairman Sinclair re
turned to Indianapolis He went to his home a
Salem to spend Sunday. The committee WILL i
is understood, begin preparing their report Mon
day. and it is expected that it will be submitted
to the LEGISLATURE sometime early next week
/ They will recommend a clean sweep in the off
GERS Of the prison, with the exception probably
of the chaplain
A CRUSH AT THE WHITE HOUSE.